There exist numerous types of tablets, laptops and other portable computing devices, often having differing form factors and performance levels. For example, clamshell laptop computers are generally characterized by a lower base and an upper display portion, where the lower base provides a housing for hardware components, such as one or more processors, a motherboard, memory, a keyboard, and pointing device(s). The upper display portion typically includes a display screen assembling, and sometimes other components, such as a camera, a wireless antenna or an audio output. The lower base and upper display portion are connected with a hinge to allow for opening and closing the laptop computer.
Structurally, tablet or slate computers are generally smaller and more lightweight than laptop computers, consisting only of a single portion of a laptop computer. Tablet computers integrate the display with the typical lower base portion of a laptop computer, usually lack a physical keyboard, and often utilize a touch screen as an input device. In addition, typical tablet computers may be comprised of 7 to 10 inch displays, while the typical laptop computer display is 10 to 17 inches.
In addition to structural and operational differences, tablet and laptop computers also differ with respect to their internal software and hardware configurations. The typical laptop computer form factor houses an x86 compatible processor and is capable of running a version of Microsoft Windows. In comparison, tablet computers are most likely to run on lower powered processors and lighter weight operating systems specially designed for smaller devices. These lower powered processors are often not x86 compatible and therefore cannot run the same applications as the laptop computer. The lighter weight operating systems are often termed ‘mobile operating systems’ and are optimized for touch and content consumption instead of running large applications which are found on laptop computers.
In recent years, hybrid 2-in-1 computing devices have been developed that combine a laptop computer and a tablet. When attached, the tablet portion acts as a display for the laptop. A user can then detach the tablet and use it as a separate device. However, any applications being used or data being accessed on the laptop are not accessible on the tablet, and if the tablet runs a different operating system or architecture from the laptop, those applications may not be available on the tablet at all. Furthermore, once disconnected, the tablet display can no longer take advantage of the greater processing power and graphics capabilities of the laptop hardware.